Ola raises 400 million; eyes growth in tier II & III cities

New Delhi: App-based taxi aggregator Ola on Thursday said it has raised USD 400 million (about Rs 2,500 crore) from a clutch of investors led by DST Global as it eyes expansion into smaller cities across India.

After this round, the firm has raised close to USD 800 million. In October, it had raised USD 210 million from a group of investors led by Japan's SoftBank.

The firm intends to utilise the funds to expand to 200 cities from 100 by year-end as well as ramp up its technology base. There are also plans to invest on increasing its base of cab drivers and retaining them with various schemes.

In a statement, Ola said it has raised "USD 400 million in Series E round of funding led by DST Global with participation from GIC, Falcon Edge Capital and existing investors SoftBank Group, Tiger Global, Steadview Capital and Accel Partners US."

Ola has expanded to 100 cities in the current year from 10 cities a year ago and this growth has been further accelerated with the acquisition of TaxiForSure in March 2015, it added.

"The additional investment will allow Ola to go deeper into smaller cities to build personal transportation ground-up. Ola has already seen tremendous growth in tier 2 & 3 cities owing to very limited transportation options that currently exist," the firm said.

There is a large opportunity waiting to be unlocked to transform the ecosystem from within, it added.

Besides, the company said it will help drivers from these small towns turn entrepreneurs, creating lasting social and economic impact for them, while a robust transportation utility is created for the citizens.

"The company will continue to invest in building cutting edge technology to suit the needs of drivers and customers as well as invest in the driver ecosystem. Ola aims to further localise its offerings for the benefit of citizens and driver partners in every market," it added.

Ola plans to be in 200 cities by the end of this year and will spend USD 100 million on building TaxiForSure as well as on expansion into tier II and III cities.

The firm said that driver partners on the Ola platform have grown as entrepreneurs, benefiting from access to increased scale and revenue.